


risk for a glimpse of light

by Yotsubadancesintherain5



Series: Fairytale/Supernatural [30]
Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Ancient Greek Religion & Lore Fusion, Drinking, F/F, First Meetings, One Shot, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 08:35:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26849032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yotsubadancesintherain5/pseuds/Yotsubadancesintherain5
Summary: Homura finds a goddess in her domain - and cannot bring her home for quite some time.
Relationships: Akemi Homura/Kaname Madoka
Series: Fairytale/Supernatural [30]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/768273
Comments: 8
Kudos: 34





	risk for a glimpse of light

It started when Madoka and her mother looked over the bountiful harvests that the humans had produced and celebrated.

They indulged in mead, toasting to each other, to their fellow gods and goddesses, to Madoka’s progress as a goddess of life and perhaps too many reasons to toast at all.

In the warmth of a drunken stupor Madoka reflected on her progress and how when she was younger she believed that her mother thought that anything less than a bright sun, sprawling meadows and plentiful flowers would extinguish Madoka.

She toasted to growing older and thought that a sprawling meadow under the night sky, full of bright stars, sounded wonderful.

So she staggered, her body heat now uncomfortable against the heat of the summer night. Madoka hoped that the grass would be dewy and perhaps she could have a nice nap.

She came across a meadow and there was a staircase that descended down into the Earth. Normally Madoka would know what this meant, and would respectfully stay away. But she was only driven by a longing for the cooled ground, and so the coldness that came from up the staircase was a beacon.

Madoka’s world swayed and she kneeled down on the cold staircase. She eventually settled down and fell into a deep slumber. The way behind her was closed off.

-

Homura had returned from catching a spirit that tried to run from one of her workers. She was attempting to keep her anger under control so that she would not impulsively send this spirit to Tartarus, but in this anger she forgot to close the way to the underworld. She remembered at the end of the steps and did so; but she felt a twinge that something was wrong.

Homura went back up the staircase and found a woman halfway on the steps, deeply asleep. It was obvious that this woman was not mortal, for Homura could feel the power of life radiating off of her, like a burst of warmth in the underworld.

Homura could also smell a copious amount of mead.

Homura was not well-versed in waking up a drunken person, and it would be much more difficult to get someone up the stairs, and it would be much easier to wait for this goddess to wake up and help her leave.

So Homura decided to help this goddess to her bed, and carried her to the bed. Homura left to get back to work, giving judgment to undecided souls.

Homura felt a twinge of questioning when the stream of souls waiting to be decided slowed to a trickle and then to just one, as opposed to the usual steady number that persisted day and night. But she would not further question this until later.

For now the mysterious woman walked to the place where souls were judged. Homura was having a horrid time because the last spirit waiting for judgment was the same that tried to run, and he had sequestered himself in a crevice in the stony wall. She could not reach in and grab him, and flaunting her power would likely force him to hide further.

“Hello, my name is Madoka,” said the mysterious woman, startling Homura out of her low-spoken threats to send this spirit to Tartarus if he didn’t come out. She would not but he didn’t know that.

“May I ask where I am?” Madoka asked. Homura looked at her and noticed that the carnations in her hair had withered.

“You’re in the underworld,” Homura said. “I’m sorry; I’ll get you out of here after I send this one to his final resting place.”

“What happened to him?” Madoka asked.

“He – ah, what was it? – oh, he died on the battlefield. His brother held him until he died. And he needs to go to Elysium, but he needs to get out of there –“

Madoka did not seem disturbed by what became a rant. She merely stepped forward.

“May I?”

In slight confusion Homura stepped aside. Madoka leaned against the crevice.

“It’s all over now,” she said softly. “You must be terrified. But you’re going to rest, and wait for your brother to find you in Elysium. You’ll always have his love.”

The spirit’s head poked out of the crevice and he looked like all the fight went out of him. Madoka gently took his hand and helped him out, and the spirit silently said an endless amount of apologizes.

Madoka’s tenderness was unusual for Homura so she had to turn her head. It filled her heart with unprecedented emotions.

She composed herself when it was time to send this spirit to his final resting place.

“Thank you,” she said to Madoka. “I’m sorry – for losing my temper.”

“I’ve heard worse from my mama when a plant just _doesn’t_ want to grow,” Madoka said genially. “Now, shall we go back up?”

Homura obliged – or tried to, at least. All she got was a great weight pushing down, and the usually malleable ground was solid even with her power.

“Uh,” Homura said, sounding unusually undignified.

“It’s not working,” she said after a few more tries.

Madoka did not seem perturbed by this news. She took the withered flowers out of her hair and Homura went to take them. They crumbled into bits in her hands.

“Then we shall try later.”

-

Having nothing else to do Homura led Madoka around the underworld. Madoka looked at Tartarus with pity, understanding the punishment but mourned that the damned had made the choices that led to their self-inflicted suffering.

Her presence brought lightness to the lull of the Asphodel Meadows, and she hummed a song that Homura had never heard before. She could faintly hear the lyrics that Madoka would murmur, “Don’t you see? Over land and sea, you are my jubilee.” She smiled at the notion of rhyming see with sea and kept silent the wish of Madoka singing it to her.

The song had ceased when Homura showed Madoka the Elysium Fields. The spirit that Madoka had comforted looked surprised to see her so soon but was cheerful in his greeting. Madoka waved back happily.

Homura thought of Madoka’s hypothetical interactions with humans and all the creations of the Earth and thought with urgency that Madoka had to go back up above.

The way above was still closed off.

So in the meantime Homura showed Madoka the river of Acheron. The listless spirits made a frown appear on Madoka’s face.

“They simply don’t have their payment,” Homura said, and she was irked at how defensive her voice sounded. “And it will not last forever.”

“I understand,” Madoka said. “You can’t have the fruition without the seed, after all.”

She looked on. “Well – if payment was given to them would that be acceptable?”

“If you have enough means to do so then yes,” Homura said. It wasn’t said as an indulgence and even Homura seemed surprised by the sincerity in her voice.

Whatever feeling that was there dissipated because Madoka lost her footing and nearly fell into the river. Homura pulled her back and they hurried away from the depths.

-

On the second day, with an extremely rare day off, they walked together and talked. Homura would occasionally test to see if the above world would give way. Still nothing worked.

“When I was a child I was very lucky,” Madoka said. “A plump bird perched on my shoulder and a friendly, grey snake rested at my feet. It was peaceful. That was so long ago.”

Homura could not offer up any childhood memories like that. It was an empty reservoir and that sort of information was not something she was going to offer just yet.

So she diverted, “What do you like to eat?”

“Oh, all kinds of fruits and vegetables,” Madoka said. “But I _hate_ mint.”

Even that declaration of hatred sounded sweet with her voice.

“Anything that is fresh is my favorite,” Homura said. “But my weakness is pumpkin.”

Madoka’s smile was so bright that it was Homura’s instinct to look away. She resisted.

“In time autumn will fall upon us,” Madoka said and she counted off, presumably, the days left until that season on her fingers. “When they are ready I’ll bring some to you.”

Homura nodded, a soft and small smile on her face.

-

On the third day the Earth was soft and Homura cultivated a way out and led the way.

Madoka was back in the light of the sun and almost immediately she was swept up into an embrace by her mother.

Homura heard the reason as to why the Earth was resistant under her hands; Madoka’s mother had made the soil heavy and unyielding so that she could get the king of the gods to listen to her demands to find her daughter. She threatened to make this situation worse after time and he finally relented on the third day.

Madoka’s mother eyed Homura warily until Madoka got the entire story out. And then Madoka’s mother apologized to Homura for barring the spirits from entering the underworld.

“I can handle it all,” Homura said to be reassuring but she could hear the growing stress stain her voice.

Madoka already had an iris woven into her hair and beneath her kind eyes Homura could see sadness.

But then they lit up with an idea and Madoka touched her mother’s arm.

“Mama, now that I can do your job – you know, in the winter months we never had anything to do because we had to call in snow.”

Madoka looked at Homura then.

“I wanted to let you know that during that time I think I’ll visit Homura. If that’s all right with her.”

Madoka’s mother nodded and looked to Homura as well. The promise of Madoka’s good company eased Homura’s growing stress.

“Yes. Of course, you are welcome.”

**Author's Note:**

> So what happened is that when I was planning "some call it restless, some call it breathing," I realized that I was focusing too much on the story of how Madoka and Homura in that AU got together. In the end I cut them from that fic and pushed them somewhere else.
> 
> The title is from Sleeping at Last's "Accidental Light."
> 
> In canon, Madoka and her mom bond over talking about how Madoka could have her first drink with her mom when she can legally drink. Obviously that never happens in canon so I made it happen here! I kinda pictured Madoka's mom as a Demeter-Dionysus fusion, in that she focuses more on alcohol and merriment after Madoka takes on her role. 
> 
> It varies but in Greek mythology there is a story where Minthe, a nymph, tries to seduce Hades and Persephone turns her into a mint plant.
> 
> Carnations are for celebrating, mostly Mother's day. Irses mean hope.
> 
> The mention of Madoka making friends with a bird and a snake is a reference to [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUgTvWLP0so) animation. 
> 
> Madoka wishing to give coins to the spirits wandering the river banks is a reference to Persephone in Lore Olympus who does get the chance to do just that. How Madoka nearly falls into the aforementioned river is a slight reference to Punderworld where Hades and Persephone fall into the River Styx following their first meeting. Both of these comics are on Webtoon and are some of my favorite interpretations of the Hades and Persephone myth.


End file.
